


The Gotham Reef

by MagiaMyst



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alfred is a nurse shark, Bruce and Damian are tiger sharks, Dick is a bottlenose dolphin, GRAPHIC very graphic VIOLENCE, Global Warming, Gotham has become a coral reef, Gotham is destroyed, Jason Todd-centric, Jason is human, Jason's path of revenge, Joker is a moray eel, Lex is also human, M/M, Mer AU, Nudity, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Selina is a lionfish, The Kents are great white sharks, Tim is an Atlantic spotted dolphin, more characters later on, strong laguage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:02:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27872733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagiaMyst/pseuds/MagiaMyst
Summary: The world had gone to shit, which led to the fall of Gotham and the rise of the oceans. Eventually everyone but Jason had left Gotham, whether for some place better or by the hands of Jason. Robinson Park had become his new home, a farm. But what lurked in the waters was the real danger. Not the humans that patrolled the lands. Merfolk had descended upon the sinking city of Gotham, migrating to a new reef. With them came the good and the bad. Not only that, but a single human following their trail, trying his hardest to capture and dissect every fishfolk he could get his hands on. Lex Luthor was not a man to be messed with. The mers knew all too well of that. The hardship and loss of loved ones by the hand of Luthor and his human goons had caused a hatred for humans to settle into the life of the mers. And Jason? He was just an unfortunate man living in the wrong place. Hopefully he can help.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 8
Kudos: 95





	1. The End and the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Look who's back! Depression had me doing a big oof. None of my previous works got any progress to them, and life just failed. But hey! I'm shoving myself into shit again and seeing if I can at least write something. I've got a lot of things typed out for other things that popped up here and there, but this one is the only one that actually started going anywhere. Let's see if this works!

It was over, Jason supposed. It was all over. It had ended a little over four years ago. The “it” being any sense of life on earth. The city of Gotham had felt the shock of an explosion, then all the electricity went out. Not long after did the radioactive rain fall. Soon after that crime fully took over the city. It took less than a year for the whole city to be destroyed. Within that time Jason had witnessed a host of monstrosities that human nature had to give. He had first had experience from some of those. After the escape of it all he had gone out to kill every last person that had wrong him. Everyone in Gotham, those that stayed, had felt his wrath, his pain. By time he had finished with the death he had to spread there were barely any humans left in the ruins of Gotham that he could even bear to stand. They had all left him alone, and within the end of the fourth year there was only him left in Gotham. He had buried the ones he loved, created a farm that he could actually sustain himself on, and resorted to living a solitary life with just himself and any books he could find. He was fine with it. He was…

But the thing about years of revenge, years of pain that could never go away, was that when there was no one left to blame for his hurting, no one left to kill, he was left with himself. That was something he couldn’t be left with. Jason had hated himself after it all. He had wished that all those times he had almost had actually led to his death. On the nights that he could not concentrate on his books, the nights that sleep refused him, when his scars hurt the most, all he could do was re-live everything. He screamed to the sky that shone with such bright stars. He attacked himself and beat his fists bloody against anything he could fight. He cried until the exhaustion of all of it had him passing out. Jason hated it.

Though, another outcome had come from the destruction of everything; the oceans were rising. Two months after the fourth year and most of Gotham had fallen into the ocean. The oceans were thriving and the world felt warmer. Winter had stopped producing snow, but summer was not scorching hot. Jason had caught fish that he had never seen in the Atlantic before. It was something he found himself becoming distracted by. The books he could find on ocean life helped him to identify certain species. The warming of the weather and the ocean had a reef system forming within the ruins of the sunken parts of Gotham. Not only that, but Jason was certain that he had started seeing humanoids in the water. An odd thing, but he was sure of it.

There had been six, or so it seemed. There would be times that he could swear that human heads popped out of the water and just stared at him. Jason would just stare back, seeming at a loss for words. That was until last month, when the sightings had stopped. The whole thing had the man confused with life. He was seriously questioning his sanity. There was just no way that it could all just be in his head. Was he truly that desperate for interaction that he imagined seeing people in the waters just to remove the lonely element of life? No way.

A confirmation on such things did not come until one day when Jason was exploring a more dry section of the ruins of Gotham. He was searching for parts to fix a few things on his farm, needing to update his equipment and keep everything working. The steel beams creaked warningly, wanting to just collapse at the weight of something it had not supported in a rather long time. The salted water had rusted crucial bolts, and eroded most of the flooring. Jason stepped carefully, collecting spare parts that laid around. Something across the room he was in caught his eyes, and he just couldn't help himself in going after it. It was definitely a piece to a hydraulic pump, which would make watering the farm so much easier. What he did not expect to though was the floor right in front of the piece to be shot to all hell. The moment his full weight was on that section it collapsed. He plummeted about two feet before he landed on a steel beam. His ankle gave out from the impact though, and he fell even further. His ribs caught him next on a pipe that broke from his weight, then the water had him.

All he could do as he relaxed against the water, letting his body float, was groan. If he fingered his ribs, testing the damage, he was sure to find something broken. His ankle didn't feel any better either. So he just allowed his body to float there, small scrapes from the fall stinging at the feeling of the salty water.

Jason did not linger like that for too long, though. He knew that sharks were in the area, and though they were particular to humans, one wrong bite could end him. So he glanced around to find an exit, only finding walls of the building, windows covered in hanging wires and dangling beams. He could try to move something aside and get through, or he could swim down and see if there was an easier way. For that he would need his bag, which so happened to not be on him. That had the man panic for the slightest of seconds. He spun in circles, looking down at the water to see if it was down there. It was not. The next place he thought of looking up, and there it was, strap caught on a sharp bit of the beam he had landed on first. Fuck.

Not a moment went to waste as he started moving towards a ledge that looked like he could climb up. It was a broken bit of floor almost an arm's length above the water. Reaching up with his good arm he grabbed the flooring. It felt brittle, but he went carefully. One arm pulled his soaked form half way out of the water. His seemingly broken rib ached as he did so, but that was ignored, especially when he reached up with the arm that shared the side of the break, his right arm. Slow and steady breathes left him as he hefted himself into the barely held together ledge, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. That was until he was on the flooring.

His body seemed to give up for just a moment, wanting rest from the effort of the lift. His breathing stopped being steady and he just heaved for air, but just for a moment. It was enough to fill his lungs with what he needed to relax once more. The gloves he had been wearing were a saving grace for Jason's fingers, stopping the sharp edges of the floor and the glass that laid there from ripping his skin. The glass did dig into his cargo pants and tank top though. He didn't mind the slight ache that his bare arms had when they had flopped out next to him, getting small bits of glass scraping and indenting his skin.

After a moment of rest Jason had decided that he would get the rest of the way to his bag. There were important items in it. Mainly his water goggles, and a small rebreather that would allow him to explore underwater without worry. It usually lasted him about five hours under water, and there were plenty of cartridges that he could switch out after surfacing to go back down. A little something that he had taken from the destroyed Lex Lab on the mainland.

With his thoughts settled, he got up, groaning the whole time. Best part of being alone? No one could call him old or annoying for making such noises by just simply standing. Fuck, he was barely twenty-one. A glance around had Jason deciding where to go next. There was a beam that seemed steady enough to hold him, but it was beyond his arms reach. He would have to jump to get to it. A small test of his ankle told him that it was at least sprained, but that was not going to stop him. After a few calming breathes the man leapt forward, causing the floor he had been on to finally crumble. It made for an awkward jump. The beam was getting close, but he could see it slipping above him as he went downwards. With outstretched arms he luckily grabbed the edge of it. A cry of victory and pain came out of him, his ribs aching from the jolt of the sudden stop that they had to help support.

Then a creak. It was not a healthy one. A bolt of the beam did not appreciate the weight that Jason had given it, and it was starting to show it. His mind blanked and his body moved. Pulling himself up and leaping for the next thing he could, the actual beam that had his bag, the steel he had been on broke. The bolt was not at all happy with the cards life had dealt it, snapping when the heavy man on it's beam kept. There was a loud this, and a breathy "oof" from Jason as his chest made contact with the steel holding his bag. His breath had been knocked out of him from the contact of the beam. But luck was not with him.

Barely a second after his arms had wrapped around the beam, his weight causing the sharp edges to cut into his bare arms, scratching at the cloth on his chest, the bolts of that beam gave way. There was a sickening feeling in his stomach as he plummeted once more. He got the water harder than the last time, mostly because nothing broke his fall, and the fact that he was clinging to the beam. His left arm received a rather nasty cut from the action, but his mind was not worrying about that. With quick movements he shoved himself away from the steel, letting it sink, while also grabbing his bag. The strap tore a little, but did not break fully, and his body moved towards the surface.

The moment his head was above water Jason took a deep breath. Fuck life, and fuck this day. Just FUCK! He relaxed in the water once more, allowing his body to float and his eyes to screw shut tightly. Fuck.

Maybe five minutes after the second fall he decided that he needed to finally get out of there. In the bag was his goggles, which got a quick wash from the water to keep them from fogging, and his rebreather. Both items were placed on, secured so he could breath and see with comfort. The floor of the building was pretty far down and murky. Everything that had fallen seemed to have settled, but the sand and grime at the bottom was already stirred up. If he stared long enough he could make out the shape of something moving in the filth. That left a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Jason had to be careful now, as he figured that he had disturbed a creature at the bottom of the building. He swam slowly, trying to move more like a fish rather than a foreign body. Halfway to the bottom was a clear window, broken open and allowing access in and out. His eyes stayed at the bottom of the building as he made his way to the exit, watching something large swim around through the murk. It felt like hours before he got to the edge of the opening, his eyes leaving the bottom for the first time since he saw the movement, which was a mistake. As he started pulling himself out, looking back to the bottom one last time, Jason saw what was there. It looked like some sort of tiger shark mixed with a human. The creature was clearly male, having the claspers to prove it, and was larger than any tiger shark he had seen in the area. The sharkman moved faster than Jason could escape, grabbing him around his throat as it launched out of the building.

The rebreather stayed in Jason's mouth as he was shoved from the building he was in and right into the one across the "street". His back painfully collided with a wall, the jagged edge cutting through his top and right into his back. It was then that he stopped breathing. Once again his breath was punched out of him, but this time it was a force to his back and not to his chest. Wide, frightened emerald eyes stared into the deepest blue they had ever seen. The mer, being the only word for this creature, had such rage in his eyes that Jason was sure he was about to be killed. It was then that his instincts kicked in. His left hand went down to grab the knife strapped to his leg, trying to swing it at the mer that held his throat, but the mer grabbed his wrist with his free hand. Jason felt his wrist make contact with the wall, a pop coming from the contact, but no scream escaped him. His right swung slowly through the water, hitting the mer right in his gilled neck, which only made the rage in those deep sapphire eyes worse.

The next sensation Jason registered was sharp teeth in his shoulder. Yet he still refused to scream. He knew if he opened his mouth his rebreather would fall out, then he'd be fucked. His eyes were wide and wild, trying to figure out how to get away. His legs did the only thing they could do and kicked at the long tail that rested against him, but it caused nothing other than annoyance to the mer, who pulled back, teeth not fully out of him and tearing his shoulder open.

It was then that Jason figured he'd best stop fighting this creature in the water. His jaw set in place tightly, breathing coming in rapid bursts to suck up the oxygen that the rebreather was trying to replace. He relaxed as best he could, trying to show that he wasn't going to fight, and that seemed to have the mer loosen his grip on Jason's wrist. A moment later and he was thrown with such force that he came right out of the water and onto something solid and dry. For a third time his breath was knocked out of him, but it was this time that the rebreather slipped from his lips.

A moment after landing he got his breath back, gasping in short spurts to keep breathing and to keep the pain down. The salt that was in his wounds stung, and the air that rustled through the crumbling building just made it worse. A strong of obscenities left his lips as he fought the pain. He hadn't even realized that his bag was lost once more, more focused on the pain coursing through his body. It wasn't like he could just stand up and run for it. His body had had enough and just wanted him to stay down.

A minute later and a naked man emerged from the water that held the mer. This man resembled the mer though, especially those striking blue eyes that just screamed for his death. Jason was quick to action. He popped his wrist back into place with his right hand, then successfully grabbed his knife. Laying on the ground, he pointed the sharp blade at the man that stalked towards him.

"Put that down before I bite your throat open next," the man spat in a deep and gruff voice.

Jason did not obey, he was filled with adrenaline, which was making his pain feel so much less, and fear. Ignoring all his wounds he stood up, feeling taking him towards the wall at his back. He had no idea that there was another in the building, just watching and waiting from a nook above him.

"The fuck-" was all Jason could spit out. His voice cracked from everything his body had gone through in the past half an hour. Sure the swearing earlier was a great warm up to his voice, something that had not been used in a while, but that did not ease the irritation that his cords were still under. “How ‘bout fuck off where ya came from and fuck off from me, you fucking fuck!” Eh, it was all he could think of.

The nude man kept walking forwards, not concerned with his junk just dangling, not concerned about being unprotected. Though if this man was as dangerous as he was out of water as he was in, Jason was sure nudity wasn’t going to be the issue. Yes, he would fight for his life, but no, he was not going to let some fucker from the ocean, or wherever, just swing his dick at him.

As the man stepped within Jason’s reach, his offhand came up ready to protect his throat and his face. He could easily shove it down if he had to block anything below his elbow. His knife hand was a few inches in front of his off hand, ready to slash and stab. The adrenaline helped him to focus and push away the pain. A few steady breaths, and one more step had the human surging forward to swing outwards with his knife.

The mer seemed familiar enough with human fight to know what to do. He shoved the hand with the knife up then grabbed Jason’s wrist, twisting and shoving up to try and make him let go of the knife. An uncomfortable pop came from the wrist, but it was still in place, just his bones shifting. He did drop the knife, as the mer expected, but what the creature did not expect was for Jason to grab it with his off hand and swing for the man’s belly.

His wrist was let go as the mer jumped back, earning a nice little slice across his abs. It had Jason smirking, proving to the creature that he could be just as deadly as it was. The mer on the other hand looked purely murderous. He lifted his hand, but did nothing else, which had Jason at a loss. That was until he felt a weight on his back knocking him to the ground. Not long after the weight, as Jason looked up, was the mer’s foot coming down on his head, ending his consciousness.


	2. Uncomfortable Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason wakes up and is soon greeted with the merman he had fought.

The sun had started to set when Jason regained consciousness. He could feel everything that had transpired hours before. Every broken, bruised, and cut part of him. Waking to such pain had him rolling onto his side and throwing up phlegm. Not even stomach acid left him. Hours were long enough for his morning meal and the water he had during his expedition to be digested. It had left him feeling worse than when he had first come to. Now it wasn’t just the injuries aching, but his stomach as well. Life was not feeling him, and he felt the same towards it.

After a moment of laying there, just allowing himself to breath, he went through a mental checklist of himself. Definitely a broken rib, swollen, stiff wrist, many scratches on his arms and back, a rather large bite taking up a good portion of his right shoulder, but that felt like it already clotted, left ankle was possibly broken, but definitely sprained, and then there was the pain in his face. Jason racked his brain for answers on what could have happened. Touching his face would have been very easy, but moving felt like it would have been too much of an effort.

The things he remembered before waking up was the expedition for parts, the fall, the climb, the second fall, something in the water, being practically tackled by some sort of sharkman… Oh fuck… The sharkman! FUCK! Jason bolted up, his heart racing as things fully came back. He remembered the fight, but not how he ended up unconscious. He remembered that that thing held its hand up, then there was nothing. It was clear to him that he took a hit to the head, but he had no idea how much memory didn’t form before the hit. Fuck fuck fuck FUCK! Fucking damn it!

Then pain hit him. A long groan escaped his lips as he realized that sitting up the way he did was a really stupid thing to do. The reminder of pain had a new wave of nausea passing over him, and it was just oh so tempting to throw up nothing once more. That did not happen though. Instead he focused on his breathing. Focused on pushing the pain down, so he could take an account of his items and the full situation he was in.

Once everything was under control Jason looked around. There was an odd feeling. He could clearly see his clothing on him, from his gloves to his shoes. Why did he feel naked then? Wait. And yet another fuck. The realization that he could feel none of his weapons on him hit him worse than the pain had. He had no form of self defense other than his injured body. Just fucking great. At least the ground looked the same as before he was knocked out. The conclusion that whatever that creature was had knocked him out, took away his weapons, then just left him where he was. Not just his weapons though, but his rebreather and his goggles. Wasn’t life just full of wonderful twists and turns.

The thought of not having such useful items in his situation had Jason shouting out in annoyance. He didn’t care if that thing was still around, or if anything could hear him, he was pissed. The fuck did he even do to deserve such treatment from something he never met? It’s not like he went out of his way to find that thing and provoke it. Though… he could have been a little less aggressive with that first meeting. To be fair, his panic response was to fight. But still…

“Fuck!” Jason repeated once more.

“Fuck indeed,” a voice said from behind Jason.

The sudden intrusion had Jason freezing in his place. It was that deep, gruff voice from before. The voice that belonged to the sharkman. Jason’s jaw clenched and unclenched uncomfortably. He was trying to keep calm and not give away that he was at all afraid.

“The fuck do you want?” Jason asked, not turning around, trying to outwardly show that he held no fear.

“Answers,” was all he got in response.

“To what?” Two could play at short, clipped words.

“Why are you here?” Seriously? He’s been there longer than this fuck.

“Parts for my farm.” No bother in lying.

“Then go inland.” What? Was this asshole serious?

“I’ve been here longer than you, why don’t you go further in the fucking ocean?” Hah!

Jason’s hair was suddenly grabbed and his head was yanked back so he was looking up. There was pain in his neck as it was forced to move, and the back of his head ached from the grip. A small gasp had escaped him, but was soon replaced by a snarl, his teeth baring at the bastard.

Green eyes met blue. Defensive anger against disgust. He knew that he was in for some shit when the pale man bared his teeth in response. Pointed teeth could be seen, just proving more that this naked man was definitely the shark. Wait. Fuck! FUCK! Oh fuck no! The man was still naked!

“Let the fuck go!” Jason growled, pulling his head away from the hand that refused to let go. Well, tried to, but his head barely budged.

“You need manners, boy.” Somehow, and fuck knows how, the mer’s voice got deeper. The rumble of it could be felt in Jason’s chest. The words sounded like his father about to beat him for speaking out of turn. It had his breath catching in his throat, refusing to leave. And the mer? He seemed to understand some sort of terror clear on Jason’s face.

“I don’t care how long you’ve been here. Humans are an omen for disaster and death. Go further inland or suffer.”

The tone said that there would be no arguing, yet no matter how small Jason felt in that moment he could not help but speak up.

“I have nowhere else.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but the mer heard it. The grip tightened, earning a small whine from Jason.

A look in the mer’s eyes seemed to hold a fatherly feature. He looked as though he would murder Jason, but he also looked conflicted, as though the mer wanted to let go and scold him. How fucking ridiculous. Then a voice from behind the pale man spoke up.

“Bruce, Dick’s back from the human’s home. Let the human think things over before you rip his throat out.”

The voice sounded young, but definitely not that of a child. Maybe an older teen. Either way the mer, Bruce, let Jason go. More so as he shoved Jason forward. There was a small sound of pain from him, even though he was glad to be free. He could hear both people walking away, which gave him the time he needed to think of what the fuck had just happened. What HAD happened? Everything was going fine until he felt like his father, who he knew was dead, had been talking to him, had been ready to give him a beating.

It wasn’t like Jason couldn’t take one. He took plenty before shit hit the fan, then even more after. It was just… the trauma of that man seemed to still haunt him. How was that still there after all those years? The only thing Jason could think of being the reason was his weakened state. He was hungry, injured to all fucking hell, and unable to properly defend himself. Damn it all. That man wasn’t supposed to be in his brain. He was six feet under and decayed. How could Jason still be thinking of him?

His body was slumped forward, hands resting on the floor between his legs, eyes wide and staring beyond the floor at nothing. The first encounter he had with a sentient creature and he felt like he was in the wrong somehow. How fucked was that? He killed people for fuck’s sake! He wasn’t supposed to be afraid of shit. Thar fucking bastard was going to pay for making Jason feel the way he was. All of this was fucking bullshit!

Jason spent about ten minutes in his head, but to him it felt like an hour. He was going over his plans for the next encounter. There would definitely be a next one. This time would be different. He was not going to let that fucker Bruce make him feel like he was in his dead sperm donor’s presence. If anything he would be more aggressive. With everything hurting, he was still going to fight if he could. It was settled.

So when he heard the clear sound of bare feet walking towards him he stood up. A compartment in his brain opened up, one he made about three years ago when he learned what torture could do to a person, and he put his feeling of pain into that compartment. Soon he was standing on his feet, holding himself like he was going to either negotiate or fight. His broad shoulders squared, chest puffed out slightly, his spine set straight to hold him at the tallest he could be without looking ridiculous. Everything about him was that of a man ready to deal with what was to come.


	3. Non-Negotiable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation between human and mers leads to a non-negotiable arrangement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I did have it about half finished for four days. Fingers wanted to focus on other things.

Three naked, yes, still naked, males stepped into sight. Did these fuckers not know that clothes were a thing? One of the men was the asshole from before, another was a few inches shorter with the same black hair and blue eyes, but they did not hold any actual features that said relatives, and the third was a few inches shorter than the second with the same black hair and blue eyes. Did they all come like that?

Jason was given enough time to actually gauge the build of these men. The first one was built like a brick shit house, but so was he. The muscles were practically rippling off of this man. He held more scars than Jason, which was quite impressive. Then there was the-- Nope! He’s not looking that far below the belt.

The second man looked like he was built more for parkour than for the brutality that the first was built for. He was toned, lithe, and shapely. There were clearly less scars, but still a good amount. It seemed that One and Two were the fighters. Where the first one, the Bruce one, was built for aggression and head on, and the second one was built to dodge and finesse. That didn’t mean he couldn’t pull a good punch, his muscles were a sure sign of that.

Lastly was the smallest of the three. This was… how to say it politely… He was fucking petite. Did this guy ever eat? Jason had to have about half a foot on this guy. Fuck, he could probably throw him straight to the building next to this one. What was he? A buck twenty soaking wet? Yes, there was muscle, there was definition, but there wasn’t enough of it for Jason to think of this kid as a threat. This had to be the person that owned the voice from earlier. So that made the second nudist Dick. If only they could all put clothes on.

“How many humans live with you?” It was Bruce that spoke. Clearly the one in charge, or he could have just been the muscles.

Jason held up his middle finger in response. “Just me, asshole.”

The gesture seemed to translate, as he watched a vein in the forehead of the big one pop out as it filled with blood from what must have been anger, or probably just annoyance.

“Humans don’t pack alone. They always have some form of company to keep sanity.” It was the petite one that spoke, the one who and yet to be named.

As true as the statement could have been, this boy didn’t seem to understand that other things could keep one sane. It could have also just been that Jason was not that. Sanity was overrated anyway. So a scoffed laugh came from him, his eyes rolling.

“Kid,” just a name placer, “humans don’t need other humans for sanity. Nowadays other humans just give more insanity, or have you just had your head underwater too long to know that?” It was clearly a mocking statement, one that had the pipsqueak looking angered. Well, if it was gonna be easy all around then he might as well try to anger the Dick one next.

“It’s you who's had their head underwater,” Bruce stated, looking not pleased one bit.

Jason’s bravado wavered for a moment. Confusion and probably anger, definitely anger, rose in the place of his steadiness. His hands opened and closed, knuckles cracking each time he clenched his fists. That was a problem he created himself from all the times he cracked his knuckles, all the way to cracking them just by closing his fist tightly. A turn of his wrists and he would be able to do the same. It stayed with the knuckles for now, though, as the feeling of the cracking was soothing.

“I’ve had my head out long enough to watched my kind fuck shit up. What about you, huh? Just racist or something? You seem to be doing fucking fine down there. What with the water rising and shit.” The venom could be heard in Jason’s voice. He spat his words as if he were a wolf ready to attack. A snake about to strike.

There was a sad look that seemed to be shared between Dick and the younger mer. A look that said they knew all too well what the humans had done. Such a look had Jason’s stomach feeling as if it had dropped. He dared a glance at Bruce, which felt like a mistake. The older mer looked emotionless. It was like he was sapped of feelings. If his stomach didn’t drop low enough it had just dropped lower, his heart following.

“You know less than you think, boy,” Bruce stated calmly. That didn’t feel right, not with their earlier conversation.

Bruce was going to talk more, but a hand on his arm had stopped him from opening his mouth once more. Jason looked over to the younger mer, whispering in the elder’s ear before pulling him away. Then it was just himself and the Dick guy. Neither of them said anything. Once again Jason was clenching and relaxing his hand, feeling the relaxing motion of the cracks. He had to keep his nerve.

A moment or two of silence, other than the quiet cracking of Jason’s knuckles, had Dick finally talking. “What’s your name?” The words were soft. So much so that Jason’s hands stopped.

A quirked eyebrow was all that Dick got in response. There was no way that this mer was getting his name. He’d seen this act with the GCPD when they were a thing, before the end. Nice cop bad cop. Though, it seemed like bad cop, worse cop, and… nice cop? Nah, he wasn’t talking.

“I’m Richard, everyone calls me Dick though.” The mer’s voice stayed soft, but his face didn’t light up or anything. Jason was not going to be guilted into talking to this sad looking fuck. What the shit?

“We lost our families to humans too.” What the fuck did this fucker know about him? Well, he did kind of give away some shit, but that didn’t mean anything, he coulda been bluffing. They didn’t know.

“There’s a human hunting us, all of us. A few mers are trying to keep them out at sea while we find a safe place. Bruce just wants to be out there to help them. Tim and Damian do as well. I’m not gonna lie though… I’d like to be doing my part.” Nope, Jason was not going to be guilted. Not even as Dick gave a sad smile.

“We just thought this place was safe. Bruce doesn’t mean to be so hard, he’s just scared for us all. We don’t know who could be with you, and if it’s just you we don’t know if you’ll try to kill us.” Ow ow ow. Fuck! Jason’s heart just had to be back in his chest and bleeding for this fucking asshole!

“I’m Jason,” he said, not allowing the mer to continue talking. “I seriously live on my own. I’d rather keep living on my own. And seriously, I only come out here to scavenge the buildings. I’m not a nudist like you guys, so I need clothes, and I need parts to fix things around the farm. It’s just me and a bunch of animals, no other humans. Haven’t been sure if I could eat the fish ‘round here either. Used to be able to, but then shit started warming up and now it’s all fucking tropical down there.”

Jason’s words may have sounded rude, but his tone was soft. The guilt had finally got him and he made sure to keep his tone down to try his hardest at conveying that he really didn’t mean any harm. He wasn’t there to fuck up their lives. To be fair, they were the ones that started with the fucking up of lives.

After he spoke the other two mers walked in. Wait… had they been listening in and not talking to each other? A bad feeling crept up Jason’s spine as he watched Bruce and either Tim or Damian walk over to Dick. Dick… that fucker! His softness had faded away as he looked to the others in question. Something was said between the three, something that wasn’t out loud. Jason started clenching his fist, cracking them. They never fully unclenched, just enough to crack them over and over.

“You may have your stuff back, but you are not allowed in this area without an escort. This is our home. You trespassed in ours, and we have yours, so we’re even. Dick will escort you out.” It was Bruce who spoke. He had looked at Jason with an expression that said it all. Non-negotiable. Well, at least Jason would still be able to keep his farm. But still…

Looking to Dick, Jason could see that the mer did not regret manipulating Jason the way he did. He tried so hard to keep his lips from pulling back, from snarling at the fucking mer that wrapped him around that fucking finger of his. It was all fucking bullshit! Acceptable bullshit, but still bullshit. So he just slowly breathed out, trying to calm himself. Sure he was played, but he had to keep in mind that he still had his farm. They would just be neighbors.

“So… I get to leave now?”


	4. Octopus is Not Calamari

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason vs octopus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long ass wait. Ended up getting carpal tunnel, so I've been typing slower. It should be gone soon, doing much better.

Bruce and maybe Tim, the fuckers never really explained if he was Tim or Damian, asshole, had left to allow Dick to deal with the rest. Good thing for Jason that his items were closer than he thought. His bag, goggles, and rebreather were all hidden in a corner, where he collected them. Every step he took, now that he was more relaxed with how things were going, hurt. If his pants weren’t in the way he would have feared looking down at his ankle. At least that didn’t feel as bad as his rib did, or even his shoulder. He could just fill a bathtub with icy hot and lay in that for the rest of eternity.

“Do you… need some help?” Dick sounded concerned, and the only reason being was that Jason was probably(definitely) hobbling a little. Fuck that, he was fine.

“You’re naked, don’t touch me.” Simple as that.

There was a gasp of offence from behind Jason, obviously Dick didn’t take kindly to being called naked or something.

“Excuse me, sir, but being in the nude is perfectly healthy. How else am I supposed to allow my Dickling to breath!”

Nope. Jason wasn’t going to laugh. Dick and his Dickling. Nah. Then a snort left him. Fuck nah.

“Dickie’s Dickling can breath in privacy. Humans don’t do naked unless they’re gonna have sex.” Jason talked as he walked to the edge of the building, pulling his goggles on, then his bag.

“Only means I’m always prepared for sex,” Dick said in such an innocent voice.

The sound that left Jason was somewhere between a choke and a laugh. It hurt his ribs to make such a noise, but that was the fault of this fucking mer.

“No. You stop right there. I’m not having this conversation with someone I don’t even know.” The rebreather was secured between his lips before he stepped off the building, letting himself sink for a moment.

Looking up to see if the mer was going to follow, Jason watched a shadow above the water shifting from a human to not a human. What he could make out from the water distortion was the legs going together and everything elongated, growing for some sort of proportional correctness. It made sense when Dick was in the water. A dolphin tail had replaced his legs, his body had grown to the size of a fully grown dolphin, and his human half grew in size and mass to compensate for the largeness of the dolphin portion. That made some sense, since the first time he saw Bruce he was massive. Then out of the water, with human legs, the human was only a couple of inches taller and looked like any normal human. At least now he felt comfortable with looking below the belt. Just like looking at a dolphin.

Dick circled Jason with one beat of his tail, and if he wasn’t in pain and feeling cautious of the entire group of mers, he would have been awed. Jason simply watched the dolphin man swim around effortlessly. He weaved through holes of the building, did a few barrel rolls, and even somersaulted through the water a few times. This guy was clearly showing off, which left Jason rolling his eyes at the realization.

Instead of watching whatever show Dick was going to put on, Jason swam out of the building. It was going to be a bit of a swim, going from nearly the middle of Gotham, all the way to the new beachline that kept creeping closer and closer to his farm. The swimming was going a little difficult. His ankle made it hard to kick through the water with his feet, and his rib was being an ass, so most of his arm paddling was one handed.

Not even two minutes of swimming had Dick going up to Jason, raising a brow. Jason could hear everything that brow was meant to say. “You need a hand?” Yes he did, but he didn’t want to ask for help. He shot the dolphin a glare, which earned him a sort of laugh from the aquatic. Bubbles rose up, and Jason swiped out to bat the man away.

Instead of backing away, Dick grabbed Jason’s slow moving wrist. Yeah, trying to hit a creature of the water was a stupid idea, but it happened before Jason could tell his body to not do it. So with his wrist held in a hand much larger than his he locked eyes with the dolphin, glaring as if he were going through a recipe book of sushi, dolphin being the main course. There certainly was a time where dolphins came in tuna cans, pretending to be tuna. Jason wasn’t against bringing that back in that moment.

But no, nothing bad happened. Nothing that Jason’s brain ran through happened. Instead of all the ways he could die in that moment, Dick brought Jason’s hand to his dorsal fin. The fin set along Dick’s spin, starting before the split between human and dolphin. The part that started on the human half held human skin, but dissolved into dolphin as it went up and across. Certainly not what Jason thought was going to happen.

His grip was tight, for a moment tighter to let Dick know he was ready to go. Then a powerful beat of the tail had the two gliding through the water. His grip almost slipped, but an arm wrapped around his shoulders to keep him close and holding on. It probably would have been much easier if he used both hands. The problem with that was one couldn’t be used for such an activity, unless he wanted to spend longer recovering.

It was odd and amazing, watching the sights of the underwater go by with the speed they were swimming. Some fish scattered to get away, but others tried to swim with the two. Then for a moment everything went dark. Panic rose in Jason for that moment. He reached up to his face, seeing if there was something covering his mask, and there was. The thing was squishy yet rubbery, and when he tried to pull he ended up with long tentacled arms wrapping around his head. Well fucking great.

The water still felt like it was flowing by as Jason fussed over the octopus on his face. His one hand stayed on Dick’s fin, while the other kept reaching around to pry off the tentacles. That wasn’t working though, as the moment he pulled one off it would be back on. It was getting him nowhere. It was just awkward for the octopus and himself. If he could talk he would be cussing the poor creature out for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, then he’d be cussing Dick out for swimming him right into the fucker.

It wasn’t clear if Dick knew about the octopus or not, because the fucking bastard kept swimming. Jason was two second away from letting go of the dolphin to deal with their stowaway. Not being away to see and going through the water at their speed was making him rather antsy. It took only a few more minutes before Jason decided to fight the fucking octopus for the freedom of his face.

Dick’s fin was let go of, so Jason could focus both his hands on the problem attached to his face. Grunt and growls were the only noises he could get out with the rebreather in his mouth, both noises coming from his throat. The octopus seemed just as offended as Jason. He would move a tentacle and it would move it to a more inconvenient place. It took no time for the octopus to wiggle it’s way to the only place Jason couldn’t grab it… His fucking mask.

What could he do? He could take the mask off, or, a better option, he could just float there feeling defeated and offended all at once. This was not worth living. This was the opposite of worth that. This… yes… this was worth not living over. He had fought an octopus and lost. It wasn’t like he could actually be mad at how such a situation ended. Octopi like to go to confined spaces to hide from threats. Jason was just too much of a threat and his goggles were clearly the most confined space around.

Rush of water and the release of his goggles had Jason free from the offended creature. His eyes were closed though, since salt water would really fucking hurt. Before he could swim up, though, arms wrapped around him, his body being pressed to a chest, and the rush of water going by started up once more. The body felt like how Dick looked. Built, yet slender, large for a human half, but understandably so for being proportioned with a dolphin, and the bottom half moved much like a dolphin gliding through water. Jason had no reason to distrust this, so he allowed whom he assumed to be Dick to hold him.

This was the most relaxed Jason had felt in such a long time. He let himself be carried around, just feeling the pull of water rushing by. Sure, his ears were feeling uncomfortable from the time spent under the water, but that was something he’d deal with. With his eyes closed, the warmth of a body against him, and the warm water that surrounded him, he could just go to sleep.

That didn’t happen though. Instead, the moment Jason felt his consciousness waning, the water was suddenly gone. Good thing too, he didn’t need water rushing into his nose as he tried to breath while asleep. The cool air hitting his wet skin had him becoming quite alert. His hand rubbed his eyes to make sure they wouldn’t hurt too much from the water when they finally opened. And when they did he saw clearly why the water was gone. Land.

Dick had placed him on the ground and was laying on the shoreline, half in half out. It took everything he could to fight the smile that wanted to pull his cheeks. His goggles were held out for him to take, octopus gone, and he took them.

“Wanna… get some dinner?” The words sounded awkward. Then again, Jason never asked anyone over for dinner before.

There was a moment of silence between the two, Dick looking confused and surprised all at once.

“Uhm… Next time. When I actually have clothes. Wouldn’t want my Dickling distracting you.” He offered a smile at his words, sounding more confident and suave than Jason.

Rubbing the back of his neck Jason nodded. “Alright. Another time.”

Another time. Maybe. He’d see how things went. So with that awkward piece of conversation that he felt a little stupid about, Jason got up to walk home. He heard a splash behind him, turning to watch a tail disappear into the water. Next time. Then was the slow walk home. Ribs and ankle be damned! He had a pretty… not good, not bad, not even okay, he simply had a day. And what a day.


End file.
